Machine for assembling silt fence

ABSTRACT

A machine which provides high quality, strong, relatively low-cost silt fencing in the proximity of the location of use of the produced silt fencing. It is within the scope of this invention to assemble material different from the material used for creation of “silt fencing”, which “fence” may be useful in different manner and be incorporated for different purpose than the purpose of silt fence. The machine basically is a simple machine having substantially four (4) sections: a front/input section which provides for the attachment of fabric and for the feeding or advancing of the fabric from a fabric roll onto and over a substantially flat and stake location surface; a stake attaching section where a first stake (to become the first drive stake) is attached, then following the advance or feed of 10 feet of fabric, a stake is attached to the fabric and a sequence of 10 stakes are attached creating an output roll of fencing substantially 100 feet in length; a fabric linear distance movement measuring section with automated start and stop of fabric feed at the set distance—for silt fencing this set distance is typically 10 feet—and following a 10 time sequence of automatic stake attachment, the feed does not start until a new first stake is attached and put onto the stake drive system; and a back/output section which provides for the automated power driven creation of a 100 foot roll of fencing.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

GOVERNMENT GRANTS/SUPPORT

None

BACKGROUND & FIELD OF INVENTION & DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Until Applicant hereof invented the invention as disclosed and definedherein, there was no effective way to assemble silt fencing in the areain which the fencing was to be used and assemble or make the fencing ina stable and strong manner and at relatively low cost. The machine ofthe present invention is the only piece of equipment which issubstantially portable, i.e., easily moved to the location which is inneed of silt fencing. The machine and the silt fencing produced by themachine of this invention is of significant value to those who need toincorporate silt fencing into the construction or engineering progressat a location.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This application describes and discloses substantially an invention—amachine which provides high quality, strong, relatively low-cost siltfencing in the proximity of the location of use of the produced siltfencing. It is within the scope of this invention to incorporate thecharacteristics and functionality of the machine to assemble materialdifferent from the material used for creation of “silt fencing”, which“fence” may be useful in different manner and be incorporated fordifferent purpose than the purpose of silt fence.

The machine basically is a simple machine having substantially four (4)sections:

-   1. A front/input section which provides for the attachment of fabric    and for the feeding or advancing of the fabric from a fabric roll    onto and over a substantially flat and stake location surface;-   2. A stake attaching section where a first stake (to become the    first drive stake) is attached, then following the advance or feed    of 10 feet of fabric, a stake is attached to the fabric and a    sequence of 10 stakes are attached creating an output roll of    fencing substantially 100 feet in length;-   3. A fabric linear distance movement measuring section with    automated start and stop of fabric feed at the set distance—for silt    fencing this set distance is typically 10 feet—and following a 10    time sequence of automatic stake attachment, the feed does not start    until a new first stake is attached and put onto the stake drive    system; and-   4. A back/output section which provides for the automated power    driven creation of a 100 foot loll of fencing

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a 3 dimensional sketch showing the silt fence making machinefrom a view of the machine at the front or the input end, illustratingthe power system, the programming system, the mechanical structure andshowing the fabric material in roll form and mounted onto the machinepositioned by the fabric counter/measurement device and the fabric lyingonto the flat table top and going beneath the staple guns which causethe attachment of the fabric to stakes; and

FIG. 2 is a form of a dimensional sketch showing the machine from a viewof the left side of the back/output end primarily illustrating themechanical structural features and the means for the sequentialadvancing of the fabric for attachment of stakes and for creating thesilt fence rolls having a predetermined and programmed unrolled lineardimension.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Because of the very nature of the silt fence making machine, such may besimply referred to as the machine, the inventor hereof has provided as acomponent of the description. a group of copies of photographs of themachine in the preferred and present form. Clearly, there are manyalternatives possible and within the scope of understanding of those whohave experience and exposure to this type of work.

For the present machine, photo copies (these may referred to as PC's)are listed below along with a brief description of the subject matter ofeach of the ten (10) photo copies.

Photo Copy 1 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a view of the machine at the back/output end;

Photo Copy 2 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a right side back angle view of the machine at theback/output end;

Photo Copy 3 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a right side top angle view of the machine at theback/output end;

Photo Copy 4 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close right side top angle view of the machine at theback/output end;

Photo Copy 5 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close view of the left side of the back/output endillustrating the driven stake power system and showing a plurality ofstakes already stapled to the fabric;

Photo Copy 6 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close view of the right side of the back/output endillustrating the point end of the driven stake inserted in a retainersystem and showing a plurality of stakes already stapled to the fabric;

Photo Copy 7 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close top angle view of the back/output end illustratingthe fabric feed surface and the three (3) staplers relative to thestakes to be sequentially attached to the fabric;

Photo Copy 8 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close top angle view of the front/input end illustratingthe fabric coming from the fabric roll onto the feed surface and overthe stakes to be sequentially attached to the fabric automatically bythe three (3) staplers after feeding of 10 feet of fabric;

Photo Copy 9 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a top angle view of the left side of the front/input endillustrating the fabric coming from the fabric roll onto the feedsurface and over the stakes to be sequentially attached to the fabricautomatically by the three (3) staplers after feeding of 10 feet offabric; and

Photo Copy 10 is a copy of a photograph showing the silt fence makingmachine from a close right side top angle view of the machine slightlyposition toward the back/output end.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrating most of the elementsand all of the required, novel and unobvious elements of machine 10.FIG. 1 is a 3 dimensional sketch showing the silt fence making machinefrom a view of the machine at the front or the input end. illustratingthe power system, the programming system, the mechanical structure andshowing the fabric material in roll form and mounted onto the machinepositioned by the fabric counter/measurement device and the fabric lyingonto the flat table top and going beneath the staple guns which causethe attachment of the fabric to stakes; and FIG. 2 is a form of adimensional sketch showing the machine 10 from a view of the left sideof the back/output end 13 primarily illustrating the mechanicalstructural features and the means for the sequential advancing of thefabric 18 for attachment of stakes 19 and for creating the silt fencerolls 20 having a predetermined and programmed unrolled lineardimension—generally acceptable is 100 feet. Generally there is a meansfor rolling staked fabric 14 having stakes periodically assembledthereon located at the output end 13 of the machine 10. A fabric lineardistance movement measuring section 12 is basically the area of themachine which follows from the input section and is an element of theoutput end and provides the surface and the means for measuring theamount of linear movement of the fabric.

This novel machine 10 runs on 110 volt AC power which power is of lowenough watts so that it can easily be powered by a relatively smallportable generator. Additionally, the machine may be useable on a 12 VDCsource of electrical energy which is usually available from a truck orother vehicle which may have been used to bring the machine to thejob/work site. Such energy features are variable in type, size, and themanner of connection and are not detailed herein and only identified asneeded to operate machine 10 in a relatively easy and automaticmanner—at least for the basic feature of providing fabric 18 forsequential attachment to stakes 19 etc. There are some operations whichare manually performed in the use of machine 10 in the production ofrolls of silt fencing 20. These manual functions are provided in moredetail in the description of the invention which is included herewith inthis specification.

It is generally and most specifically portable and can be easily takento job sites for use at the job site thereby providing quick andaccurate production of silt fencing 20. With the present and preferableform of silt fence making machine 10 it has been observed that oneoperator can make 100 to 120 roles of silt fence 20 in and 8 hour periodof time.

The portable automatic silt fence assembly machine 10 is very easy touse. The fundamental steps in the process of machine 10 use are nowprovided in order to better understand the invention and the fundamentalstructure of the invention 10.

First, a roll of fabric 18 is placed in the front region 8 of themachine 10, then insert a steel bar, then put clamps on and lift thefabric roll, using the steel bar, onto roller bearings. Engage thefabric brake, pull fabric 18 through counter rolls, staple fabric 18 toa stake 19. Now turn on the counter, pull a stake down through to therewinder and put the square end of the stake 19 into the drive, now putthe pointed end into the support cone. Now turn on the machine—power nowprovided to the machine. Insert some stakes 19, with the present machine10 there is room for four (4) stakes under the fabric against alignmentpins. The machine automatically stops every ten (10) feet. Theactivation button pictured in FIG. 1 is pressed or automatic and used tostaple three (3) staples at once into the stake 19. Now acid anotherstake behind the others. The fabric 18 will automatically move to thenext ten (10) foot position. The preferred and automatic machine 10 willstop, actuate again, repeat these steps. The machine is designed andprogrammed to finish-stop at one hundred (100) feet. A 100 loot longroll of silt fencing 20 is produced.

The machine should be turned off and the the reset button is depressedso as to reset the counter. Now the operator is ready to begin theproduction of another roll of silt fencing. First again, pick up a stakeand put onto alignment pins. Push another stake up to alignment pinsunder the staple guns. Now press the activation buttons to staple thesilt to the stake. This is now the first stake for the new roll. Nowagain turn on the machine and go about 2 feet down from the end of themachine and cut the fabric with a knife about midway between the stakeat the end of the first roll and the stake at the start of the secondroll. The operator then rolls the cut end of the first roll over thelast stake of the first roll, staple the fabric onto the stake and thentape or otherwise secure together the first roll. This process can berepeated over and over again until the amount of silt fencing needed atthe job site is produced.

The advantages of the disclosed invention are clearly apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention and the related inventionsherein referenced. It will become apparent to those skilled in the artto which this present invention pertains and after a study of thedescription of the invention, and the drawings, and the claims, manyvariations of the material of the elements used and the manner and thelocation of use of the elements within and becoming a part of the siltfence assembly machine.

1. A silt fence assembly machine for producing a silt fencing roll, saidmachine comprising: a front/input section having a means providing formounting and for unrolling of fabric used as a barrier/fencing componentat a construction site and as installed with stakes said stakes aresequentially attached to said fabric creating thereby said silt fencingroll; a stake attaching section in horizontal directional proximity withsaid front section, said stake attaching section having means forattaching said stakes sequentially in linear advance direction of saidfabric; a fabric linear distance movement measuring section having asurface upon which a produced silt fence advances from said stakeattaching section; and a back/output section wherein said silt fencingroll is formed and removeable for proper use thereof.
 2. The silt fenceassembly machine according to claim 1 further comprising: a plurality ofstaple guns as said means for attaching said stakes, each activatedsubstantially at the same time based upon advance of said fabric andsaid stake in position for attachment to said fabric; and means formounting in a feed position of said front/input section, a plurality ofstakes one of which is sequentially advanced to a stake attachmentposition in association with said fabric and said staple guns and uponattachment of said stake another of said plurality of stakes is advancedand attached and said sequential and timely advance continues untilterminated manually or the completed use of said plurality of stakes. 3.The silt fence assembly machine-according to claim 1 further comprising:a mechanical support and assembly structure configured to assembly andbuild said machine and provide for vehicle towing of said machine to asite for use thereof.